Dealer Titan Les Schwab Dies

(Akron/Tire Review) Les Schwab, one of the most recognizable and respected people in the tyre industry, died May 18, in Prineville, Ore. He was 89.
According to an official statement by the company, Schwab had been in declining health for a number of months. Clearly the most beloved resident of Prineville, most businesses and government centers in the area were flying their flags at half-staff. The Crook County Courthouse, according to local reports, will be draped in black.

After starting his company in 1952, he built Les Schwab Tire Centers into one of Oregon’s best-known businesses. The company now operates more than 410 stores throughout the West, with 7,700 employees, and posted 2006 sales of $1.6 billion. “Les was not just a great businessman, he was a great man,” said Phil Wick, current chairman of Les Schwab Tire Centers. “There will never be another Les. He was a visionary, and all of us who worked with him will stay true to his vision of integrity, service and treating people right.”

The Schwab family will own the business, led by Wick and CEO Dick Borgman.

“Les built one of the greatest companies, with some of the best employees, not just in the West, but in the world. He left us a remarkable legacy, and we are all committed to seeing that it thrives.”

Les Schwab was born in Bend, Ore. On Oct. 3,1917. In 1952, he bought OK Rubber Welders in Prineville, Ore., starting out in a shack with no running water and no toilet. “I had one hired man, and the two of us were the total crew. So I learned the tyre business from the bottom up.” Schwab said.

Schwab’s total focus on customer service helped him grow rapidly; within one year, the company’s sales grew from $32,000 to $150,000. Fifty-five years later, Les Schwab has stores in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada and Utah.

Schwab was also the face of the business, appearing for years in the company’s radio and television commercials. He continued to appear, with his trademark cowboy hat, in commercials until about 10 years ago.